Collar support



June 22, 1943. J. w. STEELE 2,322,672

' COLLAR SUPPORT Filed NOV. 29, 1941 INVENTOR: 1 14/. fifee/e,

ATTORNEY.

Patented June 22,- 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COLLAR SUPPORT James W. Steele, North Kansas City, Mo. Application November 29, 1941, Serial No. 420,977

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to collar supporting and reinforcing devices of the flexible band type adapted to be inserted into supporting position inside the collar portions of garments, such as collar-attached shirts.

One of the objects of the invention is to devise a very simple and inexpensive collar support of this type which is adapted to be easily applied and attached in retaining engagement with the button or fastener which secures the ends of the collar at the front of the garment and in such a manner as to leave said button or fastening element in exposed relation.

It is also an object of the invention to devise a construction of this character which may be economically manufactured of a single piece of material such as cardboard or other flexible material suitable for the desired supporting and reinforcing function required of this type of device.

With these general objects in view the invention will now be described by reference to the accompanying drawing illustrating a construction adapted for the embodiment of the present improvements as well as the method of using the same, after which those features which are deemed to be novel and patentable will be duly set forth and claimed.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a perspective view of a collar-attached form of shirt having a collar support of the present improved type inserted within the collar of said shirt inattached and supporting relation to said collar;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the collar supporting device detached from the shirt;

-Figure 3 is a similar plan view illustrating a modified form of the collar supporting device;

Figure 4 is a sectional detail view representing a section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1 but on a. larger scale; and

Figure 5 is a similar sectional detail view representing a section taken on the line 5--5 of Figure 2.

The type of collar supporting device to which the present invention relates is of the flexible band design such as that illustrated in my prior Patent No. 2,246,395 dated June 17, 1941.

Collar supports of this general character have grown in favor and become quite generally adopted both by the garment manufacturer and also the operators of laundry and cleaning establishments. Improvements of various kinds are being continually made and adopted from time to time to meet the particular and changing requirements, and one of these requirements which the trade seems to continue to demand is a type of construction which will not only remain securely in place within the collar but which will expose the collar button or fastener itself while at the same time eliminating the use of any other fastening means for the collar.

The improved form of collar support which I have devised utilizes the collar button or fastener already on the garment for anchoring the collar support in position by a buttoning engagement therewith, and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing this support comprises a band or strip I0 of suitably flexible and yet relatively stiff material such as cardboard or the like, which is cut in general V-shaped contour as shown in Figure 1. The length of this strip I0 is preferable such as to extend approximately half way around the sides of the collar l2 of a collar-attached shirt l4 and in the usual supporting or reinforcing position between the inner neckband portion l5 and the outer fold portion l6 of the collar l2.

The improved feature of the present invention is the novel provision which is made for holding the support securely in this position by engaging with the usual collar button l8 which secures together the ends of the neckband l5 at the front of the collar [2.

In the form of construction shown in Figure 2 the middle portion of the support or band It] is provided with an inverted U-shaped slit 20, thereby forming a tab or flap 22 which is thus adapted to be turned down, in hinge fashion or about a hinge line connecting the ends of the slit 20 as indicated at 24, and thus leave an opening or slot 25 of a width approximately equal to the thickness of the button I8 and of a length approximately equal to its diameter. To facilitate the thrusting of the button through said slot or opening 25, a further cut'is made to produce a short slit 28 extending horizontally away from the opening 25 and intersecting the slit 20 about midway along one side of said opening. Thisadditional slit 28 produces a pair of what may be termed supplemental or auxiliary tabs 30 of triangular shape and having a certain degree of flexibility for enabling the opening or slot 25 to be spread or expanded somewhat at one side in the. operation of thrusting the button therethrough and applying the support in supporting position and thereafter the sides of the slit 28 close the same beneath the button l8 as represented in Figure 1.

In the form of the device shown in Figure 3, the U-shaped slit 20' of the support or band [0 is arranged to form the same size of tab or flap 2' but with a vertical hinge line 24' coinciding ith one of the longer sides of said tab 22. In this construction the tab of course folds back sideways to open up the slot or opening 25 instead of downward as in the case of the tab 22 in the first form of the device. The rest of the construction and its operation remain the same as in said first form of the support.

In both forms of the device a score line 32 may be run across the lower point of the band to adapt the same to flex for accommodating the angle between the shirt and its neckband below the button l8as clearly shown in Figures 1 and 4.

The operation of inserting either form of the supporting band will doubtless be obvious, requiring merely the turning back of either the tab 22 or 22' out of the opening 25 in the middle portion of the band and then inserting the band Within the collar folds and attaching the middle g the latter position, the support is preferably in the form shown with said tab left attached to the band, as it is not only neater but handles better than an aperture'd band Moreover the tab-attached or merely slitted is more economical to produce than a slotted band requiring the removal of the cut portions of the material m n bandr .V-

l s It ill thus be seen that l have deviseda collar support construction which is adapted to fulfill a l t e i e qieeis. of th in nt a d h le, a t ho a .file r bed S t l d t l orm o ypes he, sam I v lhv to b u d sto a ex es l .res rr n w th i h to make whatever changes or mqdificationsmay a r y be med to fa l-W the sc e of Hiy invention as defined by the appended claims.

What I claimis'; W p H A I,

1. A collarsupport for collar-attached shirts having a collar button or fastener at the front of the, collar, said support comprising a strip of flexible and relatively stiff material for spanning the space between the front ends of the collar and the opposite end portions of the strip being insertable into supportingpo-sition between the neckband and outer fold of the collar, said strip being of substantially uniform width from end to end thereof and the interior middle portion of said strip being. formed with a rectangular slit structure defining an enclosed oblong tab to be folded back to allow passage of said button or fastener edgewise through the strip and, also a slit cooperating with said first slit structure to define a pair of triangular tab elements adjacent said first tab and adapted to'spread to permit continued turning movement of said button or fastener on through the strip into fiatwise position against the outer face thereof.

2. A collar support for collar-attached shirts having a collar button or fastener at the front of the collar, said support comprising a strip of flexible and relatively stiff material for spanning the space between the front ends of the collar and the opposite end portions of the strip being insertable into supporting position between the inner and outer folds of the collar, said strip being of substantially uniform width from end to end thereof and the interior middle portion of said strip being formed with a U-shaped slit defining an enclosed oblong tab adapted to be folded back to allow passage of said button or fastener edgewise through the strip and also with a slit intersecting said first slit and cooperating therewith to define a pair of triangular tab elements adjacent said first tab and adapted to spread apart for allowing further manipulation and movement of said button or fastener on through the strip into fiatwise engagement with the outer face of the strip. 7

3. A collar support for collar-attached shirtshaving a collar button at the front of the collar, said support comprising a strip of flexible and relatively stiff material for spanning the space between the front ends of the collar and the opposite end portions of the strip being insertable into supporting position between the inner and outer folds of the collar, said strip being of substantially uniform width from end to end thereof and the interior middle portion of said strip being formed with an inverted U-shap'e'd slit defining an enclosed oblong tab adapted to swing downwardly on a horizontal hinge line intersecting the ends of the slit for allowing passage of said button edgewise through the strip, and also with a slitint'ers'ecting one of the legs of said U-shapd slit and cooperating therewith to define a pair of triangular tab elements adjacent said first tab and adapted to spread apart for allowing further manipulation and movement of said button on through the strip into fiatwise engagement with the outer face ofthe strip.

4. A collar support for collar-attached shirts having a collar button at the front of the collar, said support comprising a strip of flirible' and relatively stifi material for spanning the space between the front ends of the collar and the opposite end portions of the strip being insertable into supporting position between the inner and outer folds of the collar, said strip being 'of substantially uniform width from end to end thereof and the interior middle portion of said strip being formed a 'Ll-shaped slit defining an enclosed oblong tab adapted to swing laterally on an approximately verticai hinge line inter: secting the ends of thes lit for allowing; passage of said button edgewise through the strip, and also with a slit intersecting "said firstslit at approximately its midpoint and cooperating therewith to define a pairof triangular tab elements adjacent said first tab and adapted to spread apart for allowing further manipulation and movementof said button on through the strip into fiatwise engagement with the outer face of the p- JAMES W. STEELE. 

